Archive for 2020

5 Minutes Sambal Shrimps, Way Sambal Sauce

Friday, December 25, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

Sambal Shrimps, Way Sambal Sauce

Shopping in the Asian grocers can be like treasure hunting for me. It can be full of surprises, or it can be of disappointments. There are times I discover great ingredients unexpectedly; there are times I struggle to find the ingredients that I am looking for. This is exactly the experience I have with a bottle of Way Sambal Sauce.

Sambal aka spicy chili paste is not an easy dish to make at home (for me) as it required more than 10 types of spices or ingredients. Some of the ingredients are beyond reached such as galangal, shrimps paste, kaffir lime leaves etc. I may need to travel to the Asian grocer next towns for some of the ingredients. So it does not cross my mind at all to attempt any homemade sambal sauce.

One day while shopping in the Asian grocer, I unexpectedly discovered a hidden jam – Way Sambal Sauce. I was in joy and quickly grabbed a bottle and added it into my shopping cart without checking the price tag. Ingredients like these are scarce and I am willing to pay a premium price for it, so long it can save me a lot of works and time. (By the way, a bottle of 200g sambal sauce costs ~ 4.5 EUR).
I fell in love with the sambal sauce as it tastes super good, as good as the sambal served in restaurants. I regretted for not buying an extra bottle as the next round when I shopped in the Asian grocer, it has been out-of-stock. I doubt it would be restocked any time sooner since it is not an item by popular demand.

Anyway, enough with the grandmother story. Let's start cooking now.

Ingredients
1 bottle Way Sambal Sauce (200g)
300g shrimps
2 onions (sliced)
1/2 lime
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
cooking oil

Directions
1. Heat up some cooking oil in the pan, stir fry the onion for 5 min or turn translucent.
2. Add in the sambal sauce. Stir fry for 1 min.
3. Add in the shrimps, sugar and salt. Stir for 3-4 min until the shrimps are cooked.
4. Squeeze in the lime juice, ready to serve.

Daikon Series: Stir-Fry Radish Cake

Friday, November 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


This is the sequel of my radish cake's affair. Other than the pan fried radish cake which I shared in my earlier post (check out post), another best way to enjoy the radish cake is through stir-fry. Stir-fry radish cake is also one of the popular dishes to order in most of the dim sum restaurants.

One of the key ingredients for the stir-fry radish cake is actually the preserved turnip. Preserved radish is pretty common ingredient for Asian cooking and can be easily found in most of the Asian grocers. They are preserved food with high contain of sodium, hence, you will need to soak them in the water and rinse them under the water few times to mellow down the saltiness taste before you can use them for cooking.

No special technique required for the stir fry. However the sequence of the ingredients added into the wok must be taken note, in order to avoid bitter taste garlic or burned preserved radish.

Ingredients
500g steamed radish cake (cut into cubes)
50g preserved radish (chopped)
4 eggs (beaten)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 stalk spring onion (chopped)
2 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
cooking oil

Directions
1. Heat up oil in a wok, add in the radish cakes which have been cut into cubes. Pan fryfor 2-3 min.
2. Add in the preserved radish and garlic. Stir fry for 1-2 min.
3. Spread the radish cakes evenly and pour in the egg mixture.
4. Once egg is cooked, flip the radish cakes using the spatula.
5. Add in the seasoning (dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, oyster sauce, salt and sugar) and stir fry for few minutes until all the radish cakes are well coated/coloured.
6. Off the heat, sprinkle some chopped spring onion on top and serve hot.


Daikon Series: Radish cake

Wednesday, October 21, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


My last visit to SB was a fruitful one as I brought back home a stalk of fat radish. I used half for my oden soup (check out my previous post) and saved the other half for radish cake. I always order the pan fried radish cake when I patron at the dim sum restaurants. So far the radish cake by Full Moon Restaurant, The Hague tops my list. I simply fall in love with the texture - not too soft or too hard, and you can taste the chunky shredded radish in every bite of the savoury radish cake.

If you are lucky, you may get the ready-made radish cake from the Asian grocers, usually at the frozen food section. Since it cannot be found in the Asian grocers here, I attempted to make my own, in order to satisfy my craving for radish cake.  It could be pretty time consuming to make a pan of radish cake, but it could be rewarding after all. I wouldn't say my radish cake is perfect, but I am super proud of my radish cake as they tasted so good. But I regretted for not making it in a bigger quantity. 

Ingredients
800g grated radish
300g rice flour
560g water
4 tbsp dried shrimps (soak in water for 20min, chopped)
4-5 tbsp shallot oil
salt and pepper
Oil for pan-frying

Directions
Steamed radish cake
1. In a mixing bowl, add in rice flour and water. Stir well until no lumps.
2. In the pan, add in shallot oil, chopped dried shrimps, grated radish, salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 3-5 min.
3. Add in the rice flour and water mixture. Constantly stir until the batter is slightly thickened.
4. Transfer the radish batter into a baking pan and steam it for 15-18min under medium high heat.
(Do grease the baking pan surface with some oil beforehand).
5. Cool the steamed radish cake in room temperature.

Stir-fry radish cake
6. Cut the radish cake into 4x4cm square.
7. Heat up some oil in the skillet. Pan-fry the radish cake until both sides are lightly browned.

The radish cake is ready to be served. Don't forget to enjoy it with a dash of spicy sriracha chili sauce. Yum!

Homemade Chili Oil and Chicken Dumpling

Sunday, September 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


I made chicken dumplings today and I also made some homemade spicy chili oil to go with the dumplings. The chili oil is very simple to make and you can actually make a big amount and store them in the bottles for later use. The bottled chili oil can last for 2 weeks, if kept in room temperature. You may store it for longer, up to 3 months, when store in the refrigerator.

The chili oil is so versatile that you can use it for almost anything i.e. sauce for dry noodle, spicy soup base for ramen or even any type of stir- fry dishes. Let’s check out how simple it is to make your own chili oil at home.

Ingredients
4 tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp grind pepper
2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 stalk spring onion (chopped)

Directions
1. Mix chili powder, grind pepper, salt, sugar, garlic and spring onion in a bowl.
2. In a pan, heat up oil.
3. Once the oil is heated, slowly pour the over the chili mix.
4. Add vinegar and soy sauce. Stir well.

Cereal Fish Fillets

Monday, August 10, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


I first made the dish few months ago. It was a great success and I was super thrill on how delicious the dish tasted. I was drooling awhile when the dish was done. I was so eager to sample the dish and totally forgot to snap a photo of the final dish. By the time I realized, the dish was half gone.

Since I love the dish so much, I am making it again ^_^. I used shrimps for my previous dish, but I am using plaice aka flatfish for today's recipe. You can use any types of white fish. As for the Nestum cereal, they can be found in the Asian grocers.

Ingredients
250g plaice (sliced)
2 tsp egg white
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cooking wine
15g plain flour
15g corn starch
40g butter
cooking oil

Cereal Mixture
1 cup Nestum cereal
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp milk powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions
1. Marinate the fish fillets with egg white, salt, pepper and cooking wine. Marinate for 30min.
2. Mix plain flour and corn-starch together, mix well. Coat the marinated fish fillets in the flour (both sides).
3. Heat up cooking oil in the pan. Pan-fry the fish until both sides are lightly browned. Set aside.
4. In the pan, add in butter. Once butter is melted, add in the cereal mix. Stir fry for 2-3 min.
5. Add in the fish fillets into the pan again. Lightly stir until all the fish fillets are well coated with the cereal.

Note: If you are using the 3-in-1 Nestum cereal sachet, please skip adding sugar and milk powder.

Spicy Noodles - Little Couple Dry Noodle

Monday, July 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

Taiwanese product

If you love spicy, springy and chewy noodles, this would be the type of noodles for you. Introducing here is a product from Taiwan, named Little Couple Dry Noodle. Unlike other type of noodles, the noodle is sun-dried. Non-fried noodles are normally healthier. Apart from this, there is no additional preservative added and only plant-based oil is used for the recipe. In another words, the noodle is vegan-friendly.


For dried noodles, I always prefer the wider and thicker noodles as they tastes better. Springy and chewy texture is also something I am looking for a bowl of perfect dried noodle. You have it all, in this pack of noodle. 

Little Couple Dry Noodle from Taiwan

Just a gentle reminder that the chili oil accompanied in the packet can be pretty spicy for some. So, please be gentle with the chili oil. Try not to pour all in at once, but to add gradually and adjust the spiciness level as per your liking. As for me, I only used half packet of the chili oil and saved the half for my dumplings :)


Daikon Series: Daikon Radish Oden

Saturday, June 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


I do not usually shop at SB. I somehow made an unusual trip there early of the month because my vitamin supply was running low and I need to restock :( Guess what I spotted in the fresh produce section while shopping in SB? Daikon radish!! 

Ever since my first try of daikon radish oden in Osaka few years back, I instantly fell in love with daikon radish. Daikon radish is rare to find in common supermarkets here, so there is no way I could go home without it. I happily brought back home the fattest stalk which I could find in the supermarket and made my favourite oden hotpot for dinner that night.

Daikon radish in the hotpot are usually cut into huge chucks for stewing. This it to prevent the radish from tearing apart after long hours of cooking. In the interest of time, I cut my radish into bite size to speed up the cooking time. I also used the instant dashi powder for my oden soup.

Ingredients
500g daikon radish (cut into bite size cubes)
1 sachet instant dashi powder
1 litre water
1 cube Knorr vegetable cube
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
a pint of salt
1 stalk spring onion (chopped)
fish cakes (variety)
1 carrot (bite size cubes) - optional

Directions
1. With 1 litre water in cooking pot, add in instant dashi powder, vegetable cube, soya sauce, carrot and daikon radish. Cook until daikon radish turn soft.
2. Add in fish cakes, sugar and salt. Cook for 3-5 min or until fish cakes are cooked.
3. Sprinkle chopped spring onion and serve the soup hot.

Rasmus Klump American Pancakes

Wednesday, May 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-


I crave for pancakes so much, especially the ready-made pancakes by Marks and Spencer. (Check out my previous post on M&S Mandarin Orange Pancakes) To satisfy my craving for pancakes, I decided to make my own.

While shopping for the ingredients, I spotted this ready-made pancake mix by Rasmus Klump. It is a convenience pancake mix for busy or lazy folk like me :) Most of the important ingredients have been pre-mixed, including sugar and egg powder.  All you need is just milk and oil/butter. Mix everything together and the batter is ready to be cooked in the pan.

The overall taste of the pancake is acceptable. Sweetness is just nice with no additional sugar is required. The only downside is, the pancake is flatter and lack of fluffiness. Obviously egg powder is not a good substitute for fresh eggs. For those who prefer fluffy texture, please stick to the traditional pancake method with fresh ingredients. Well whisked eggs (especially egg white) could elevate the fluffiness of the pancakes.

Ingredients
1 packet of Rasmus Klump American pancakes mix (300g)
300ml cold milk
3 tbsp oil
some butter (optional)

Toppings
Fresh strawberries
Honey

Directions
1. Pour pancake mix into a mixing bowl. Add in milk and oil. Whisk well till no lumps.
2. Heat up the frying pan with a bit of butter.
3. Pour in 1 tsp of batter onto the pan.
4. Leave the batter to cook for 2-3 min. Flip over the pancake. Cook for 1-2 min.
5. Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.
6. Stack the pancakes and garnish them with your favourite toppings.

Peanut Pancake aka Apam

Wednesday, April 29, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

apam balik

Pantry ingredients which are normally found in the supermarkets are now hard to find in this lockdown period. So, I try to compromise with any substitutes that come close to the ingredients I usually use for my baking. Dry yeast is unavailable, so I opt for fresh yeast instead.

I am new to fresh yeast, so I did a little experiment with this simple pancake recipe, commonly known as peanuts pancake aka apam. I like how my pancakes turn out to be with the fresh yeast. The pancakes are way softer and fluffier in texture, as compared to the one I made with dry yeast. That tells why traditional bakeries opt for fresh yeast to dry yeast.

As per the name of the pancake i.e. peanut pancake, the filling is always crushed peanut with sugar. However unsalted peanuts are hard to find in the supermarkets here, I then replaced the peanuts filling with hazelnut spread aka Nutella. Nutella pairs perfectly with the pancakes and I like it a lot. If you are interested, do check out the recipe for the pancake with fresh yeast. The pancake mixture can make 3 large pieces of pancakes.


Ingredients
1 1/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cube fresh yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Filling
hazelnut spread - Nutella
some sugar
some salted butter
Other filling options: grind peanuts, creamy sweet corn, grind sesame with sugar

Directions
1. Mix 1/2 cube fresh yeast with some warm water. Set aside for 10 min.
2. In a mixing bowl, add in wheat flour, baking soda, salt, yeast mixture, egg, vanilla extract. Mix well till no lumps. Set aside to rest for at least 40 min.
3. Heat up the non-stick pan, pour in some batter and spread the batter evenly.
4. Sprinkle some sugar. Cover with lid and simmer for 2-3 min under low heat.
5. Place some butter. Cook until the butter is melted and the edges are lightly brown.
6. Smear generous amount of Nutella on the pancake, flip the pancake to half and serve.

Frikadeller with Tangy Tomato Based Gravy

Sunday, March 29, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

meat balls with tangy tomato based gravy

Frikadeller are flat, pan-fried meatballs. They come in many variations - fish, chicken, pork and even mashed potato frikadeller. You can easily buy the ready-made frikadeller from the supermarkets here, but the mashed potato version are hard to find here. I usually go for either the fish or chicken frikadeller. Somehow, I made a mistake during my last visit to the supermarket. I accidentally bought a pack of the pork frikadeller.

Pork frikadeller can be a bit too gamey for me. Therefore, I would need to think of a gravy or sauce that could cut through the gamey taste of the pork frikadeller. Tangy tomato based sauce would be perfect choice. Check out my recipe here.

Ingredients
4 pre-cooked frikadeller
2 tomatoes (cut into wedges)
2 potatoes (cut into bite-size cubes)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 onion (sliced)
2 cloves garlics (minced)
cooking oil

Sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soya sauce
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 pinch salt
100ml water
cornflour solution (1 1/2 tbsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water)
pepper to taste

Optional
2 eggs (sunny side-up)

Directions
1. Pan fry the frikadeller until both side are browned. Set aside
2. Pan fry the potato cubes until slightly browned and cooked. Set aside.
3. Heat up the wok with some cooking oil. Add in the carrot, peas and onion and stir fry for 3 mins.
4. Add in the tomato wedges and water. Simmer for about 5 mins.
5. Add in the pre-mixed sauce, then thicken the sauce with cornflour solution.
6. Add in the potatoes and stir well.
7. Lastly add-in the frikadeller into the cooked sauce and simmer for 1-2 mins.

I have 2 sunny side-up eggs ready for extra creamy taste. The runny egg york complemented the dish perfectly. Yum!

Egg-Mayo Onigiri

Saturday, February 29, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

onigiri

Cold winter makes me too lazy for heavy cooking. I am hungry yet I am not in the mood to cook. At the same time, my tummy is so reluctant to be satisfied by instant noodles.

There is some left over rice in the fridge, and I think I can make something out of it. I rummage through my little pantry and I found a packet of furikake. Boom ... let's make a handmade onigiri with it.


I am making the egg-mayo onigiri. The ingredients are rather simple: a hard-boiled egg, salt and pepper to taste, mayonnaise, cooked rice and furikake aka onigiri seasoning.

Instructions
1. Use a fork, slightly break the hard-boiled egg into small pieces. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Mixed well. 
2. Spread the rice evenly on a cling film (to form a square shape)
3. Sprinkle some furikake on top of the spread rice. Lightly press the furikake onto the surface of the rice, so they stick.
4. On another cling film, flip the rice over with the furikake surface facing down.
5. Spread the egg-mayo mix on the rice.
6. Use both of your hands to squeeze the rice and form a rice ball or rice square. Make sure the egg-mayo filling is well covered by the rice.

Tips
Avoid putting too much of egg-mayo filling into the rice ball as they may over-flow and you will have difficulty to seal the onigiri.

Less than 5 minutes to prepare, simple yet hearty. The only downside with it is, I used overnight rice for the recipe. I would have used warm rice instead for better texture.

M&S Mandarin Orange Pancakes

Monday, January 20, 2020 0 Comments A+ a-

Fluffy mandarin orange pancakes

I love products by Marks and Spencer and the M&S' pancakes top my list. Either the plain or the raisin pancakes, I love them all! I recently discover the new flavor - mandarin orange pancakes. As a citrus lover, I instantly fall in love with this new flavor.

The moment I opened the packaging, the citrusy fragrant immediately filled the air. Very refreshing indeed. Mandarin orange is less sours than orange and hence added a mild tangy taste to the pancakes, not over powering, but just nice to cut through the sweetness of the pancakes.

The pancakes can be enjoy as it is, or you may toast them in toaster for 1-2 minutes for better taste. I like the luxurious version as the one served in pancakes house, so I added some freshly cut strawberries and raspberry marmalade to go with my pancakes. 

Warm and fluffy, tangy and sweet, every bite is so satisfying!

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